As The Spirit Moves Me

  Nose: Oily smoke, raisin, leather, old oranges, Virginia pipe tobacco, soy sauce, lemon peel Palate: Oily. Wood smoke, figs, creosote, bitter orange, dark chocolate, hazelnuts Finish: Dark fruit, smoke. Rich and amazing. Lingering and long. Sweet and acidic and then dry and a little tannic. Final thoughts: This is fantastic. Rich and smoky and Oily and delicious. Enough fruit and nut and chocolate to balance it all.  Would I buy this: I would, if someone said I could have a bottle right now for $250 I'd snap it up. Would I order this in a bar: Yes, big yes. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Definitely. Verdict: Two thumbs up!

  Nose - Sour cherries, raspberries, almonds, slightly metallic, figs, Virginia pipe tobacco Palate - Raisin, toffee, honey, sage, almond, nougat, nutmeg, bitter lemon,  Finish - Black pepper, honey, sharp and a bit thin.  It seems a bit hot and brash for what it is, even with a bit of water. There's a lot going on that just doesn't quite gel. Would I buy this: If it were under 60 a bottle, and I doubt it was even then, maybe. Would I order this in a bar: Probably not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I would! It's not a bad scotch. It's just not my jam.  Final notes: For me the K&L exclusives are very hit or miss. They're always super interesting and tend to have a lot going on, they're just not always to my taste. Such is the case here. Verdict: Thumbs Down. Not for me.

Nose: Candied orange peel, sultanas, plums, cocoa, figs. Palate: Raw barley, plum, citron, sloes, allspice. A hint of chocolate. Finish: Long. Baking spices, milk chocolate, oak. Verdict: Not quite as complex as the 18 Allardice, but still damned good. I'd love a bottle of this. Quite nice. Would I buy this: I would! I wonder if the newer releases are this good. Would I order this in a bar: Definitely, if I wanted a nice sherried dram. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Please, and thank you! Rating: ★★★★

Nose: Figs and dates. Bovril. Hazelnuts. Cocoa. Light molasses. Palate: Christmas cake. Rum. Milk chocolate. Allspice. Finish: Medium in length. Blackcurrants. Clotted Cream. Resinous wood. Black tea. Cocoa powder. Verdict: Pretty complex. All the sherry notes are there, but it's balanced by wood and the malt as well. A fantastic dram. I wish it had just a little something more going on. Would I buy this: I would! I wish it were a bit cheaper here in the US, though. Would I order this in a bar: Definitely, if I wanted a nice sherried dram. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Please, and thank you! Rating: ★★★★

Nose: Old apples, yesterday's oatmeal, orange peel, oxidized sherry. Palate: Sherry, raisins, old fruitcake, allspice, sweetness. Finish: Glace fruit, mace, raisins, oak. Verdict: As I recall from past experience in bars, this dram always seemed like it was slightly off. This tasting bears that out. All the flavors are slightly oxidized seeming, and not just because this is from a sample bottle. I don't know if it's part of their 'solera' process, but it's simply not great. The sherry is quite forward, the malt seems tired and in the background. When the spice comes out to play it almost roars over everything, but only for a second, and then it's gone. Would I buy this: No. Would I order this in a bar: Not really. They'd have to have a fairly abysmal selection. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I would, but just to be polite. iI's not terrible. But it's not great either. Rating: ★★

Nose : Baking spices, cocoa, peaches, honeysuckle, violets, a touch of smoke. Palate : Chocolatey. Malted milk balls, caramel, apples, burnt toast with red currant jam, sage smoke. Finish : Long. Sweetness, dried red fruit, wisps of smoke, bitter chocolate. Verdict : I like this rather a lot. I know it's disappearing, and that makes me a bit sad I didn't get a bottle before it's gone. I may keep an eye out for it. Would I buy this: If the price weren't crazy, I would! Would I order this in a bar: Yes, absolutely. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes, thank you! Rating : ★★★★

Nose : Honey, vanilla, oak, toasted oat, vienna malt Palate : Cocoa dusted almonds, mint, sea salt, white pepper, citron peel Finish : Salted toffee, lemon, toasted oak, nutmeg Verdict : This is simply delicious. Fantastically balanced. It's not perfect, but it's a must have to keep on the shelf, especially for the price to me. Would I buy this: I would! Would I order this in a bar: Absolutely! Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes, please! Rating : ★★★★

And we're back to the present day. It's Christmas time, I'm on vacation, and I'm about to make sourdough bread. I think I'll start the day with a dram (and after taking notes for this review, that Millionaire Shortbread I made.) Nose : Apple, pear, honey, light toasted grains, poached plums, nutmeg, almonds. Palate : Nutmeg, red wine, toffee, caramel, toasted oats. Finish : Short. Orchard fruits, vanilla, light caramel, and something just slightly bitter. Verdict : I'll always have a love for Black Bush. It reminds me of my dad. He drank Bushmills when he could afford it when I was growing up. We drank it at his wake and his funeral. It's a pleasant whiskey, a fair step up from the base blended 80% grain/20% malt white label Bushmills, as Black Bush is 80% malt/20% grain. That said, it's a simple Irish whiskey, even with the sherry aging the malt in this goes through. It's bottled at too low proof, and the triple distilling makes it in...

From somewhere in the distant past, in the lost year of reviews (as I got divorced, was between homes in a way, and reddit cracked down on all kinds of things. So this one got tucked away in my notes) comes a Kilchoman sample! Nose : Warm peat, toasted almond, stewed fruit, grainy malt, metallic copper. Palate : Sweet sherry, warm mineral dirt, bright metal, toasty grain, fresh clean ash. Finish : Sweet fruity sherry and metallic notes fade to grainy malt sweetness and light spicy cardamom and nutmeg. Verdict : This is very nice. Well balanced. The warmer, somehow cleaner peat of Kilchoman plays really nicely with the amount of sherry flavor they've added with this cask. Peat and Sherry play well together, but this may be the nicest peated sherry dram I've had to date. Would I buy this: I would, as long as it weren't crazy expensive! Would I order this in a bar: Yes, it'd be fantastic to sip this before a steak dinner. Would I drink this if someo...